"Thanks to the Knight Foundation for this 'knot-hole' [The Vault] through which we, the unwashed, can peer to see just how our tax dollars are being spent by City Hall. Please keep up the good work."
—Eugene B. Kordahl

State law more favorable to plaintiffs in coastal loss lawsuit; ‘Stand your ground’ law could play into defense in Marigny shooting

Environment

The Big Oil lawsuit and wetlands war | Gambit — An in-depth piece by Gambit Political Editor Clancy Dubos on the historic lawsuit filed by the local flood authority against the oil and gas industry. “If the case is removed to federal court, say defense attorneys interviewed by Gambit, there is ample jurisprudence that could scuttle the case. In state court, where the case was filed, the law offers more opportunities for the plaintiffs to succeed.”

To make the threat of climate change clear to her customers, [business owner Sandy] Bridges joined a campaign last week to mark where the high tide in 2100 would be if the worst of those scenarios comes true. A strip of sky-blue tape near the handle of her door indicates the spot. ‘Where I’m standing right now, the water would be up to my chest,’ she says.

If you wanted to hand-select a dream team of committed professionals to oversee the levees that protect the east bank of New Orleans, this is the team you would pick. They didn’t undertake this action lightly. It was considered, researched, and deliberated upon for months, exactly as it should have been.

One disappointment of the legislature this year was their failure to even consider a bill filed by Rep. Austin Badon which would have tempered Louisiana’s draconian penalties for possession of marijuana. …

While lawbreakers should be punished, there is a growing consensus that overly harsh sentences are destroying families, causing children to grow up without fathers in their lives (which often results in those children being incarcerated themselves), and condemning ex-offenders to a lifetime of unemployment and poverty.

Detroit demolition map | WDIV 4 – This TV news report links to an interactive map of 12,000 properties in Detroit that are on the City Council’s demolition list. The rather sobering map constitutes only a partial list of blight in Detroit, which recently filed for bankruptcy.

Schools

Louisiana reinvents high school with private sector help | POLITICO – This article depicts Louisiana’s Course Choice as a uniquely innovative, à la carte program that allows “students of all income levels to customize their course lists using taxpayer dollars to pay a broad range of public and private providers for classes they can’t get — or don’t believe are well taught — in their neighborhood schools.”

Government & Politics

Gautreaux issues apology, begins push to have La. law erased | The Advocate — East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux wants to make amends after a task force arrested a dozen men in a sting operation that appeared to target homosexuals. “State lawmakers and political observers predicted Monday there would be little legislative appetite to amend the antiquated anti-sodomy law or remove it from the criminal code.”

It’s vaguely unsettling that the moment a major American city goes belly-up , a major New Orleans official feels compelled to come out and say: “Don’t worry! We aren’t next!” It’s disconcerting because [Deputy Mayor Andy] Kopplin senses that we have grounds to be worried.

Mark Moseley blogs at Your Right Hand Thief. Until mid 2014, Mark Moseley was The Lens' opinion writer, engagement specialist and coordinator for the Charter Schools Reporting Corps. After Katrina and the Federal Flood he helped create the Rising Tide conference, which grew into an annual social media event dedicated to the future of New Orleans.